



1. w. SMITH. 100mm; MEANS FOR FREIGHT CAR nouns.

APPLICATION FILED JAN- 30. 191B- Patented July 1, 1919.

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WITNESSES J. W. SMITH. LOCKING MEANS FOR FREIGHT CAP. DOORS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 30, I915].

Patented July 1, 1919.

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l/VVEN TUE 01 WeS'ma'J/a WITNESSES JOEL W. SMITH, OF ARDMORE, OKLAHOMA.

LOCKING MEANS FOR FREIGHT-CAR DOORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 1, 1919.

Application filed January 30, 1918. Serial No. 214,456.

T '0 all whom it me? concern:

Be it known t at I, JOEL W. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Ardmore, in the county of Carter and State of Oklahoma, have invented a, new and Improved Locking Means for Freight-(Jar Doors, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to locking means for freight our doors, and particularly relates to locking means involving a series of lock ing elements disposed about the door at opposits sides and at the top and bottom thereof and controlled by the unitary operating means.

The general object of the invention is to rovide a lock for freight car doors of the indicated character improved in various particulars with respect to the form and arrangement of the locking elements and the actuating means therefor.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification in which similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the views, it being understood that the drawings are merely illustrative of one example of the invention,

Figure 1 is a transverse vertical section taken through the door in th closed. position;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation showing the door in the closed position, parts being broken away and others in section;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section, with the door in the closed position;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but show the door in the open position;

ig. 5 is a detail in transverse vertical section on the line 6 43, Fig. 2, showing a detail of the locking means with the coacting locking; elen'ients disengaged;

Fig. (i is a view similar to Fig. 5 with the coasting locking elements engaged;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the rochablc locking elements;

Fig, 8 is a detail in sectional plan view, the view being given to show a latch device for holding the door in open position.

In carrying out my invention in accordance with the illustrated example the car 10 may be of any standard make. In the door opening a metal frame 11 is provided. The numeral 12 designates the car door which in the illustrated example guided at the top in an overhanging rail 13 and at the bottom in a rail 14. The upper rail may be fixedly secured in any suitable manner, there being shown an angle bar 15 for the purpose. I prefer to arrange the lower rail 14 to be raised or lowered for which urpose the rail is pivotally held in end brac (ets 16 by bolts 17 to swing vertically. In the raised position the rail 14 is supported by swinging brackets 18 pivotally supported at their inner ends in keepers 19 on the car frame. Thus, when the door is opened for the unloading of the freight, the rail 14' may be lowered out of the way by swinging the brackets 18 downward against the our side, permitting said rail to drop. At the 11 per end the door 12 has headed pins 20 w iich move in corresponding T-shaped slots 21 in the under side of the upper rail 13, while at the bottom of the door plain pins 22 are provided thereon, movable in slots 23 in the upper side of the lower rail 14. As seen in Figs. 3 and 4, the slot 23 at the end adjacent to the door opening extends obliquely so as to guide the door laterally to and from the door opening as the door is brought into or out of register with said opening. There is also a transverse, slightly curved slot member 25 extending from the slot 23 to take the adjacent pin 22 of the door while the pin 22 at the opposite side of the door follows the oblique portion 24 of the slot. In opening the doc: from the position shown in Fig. 3 the right hand side as represented in said figure is swung outward until the pin 22 at that side reaches the straight portion of the slot 23. Then as the door is moved longitudinally of the ear the left hand pin 22 follows the slot 24. In order to hold the door in the open position a latch hook 26 is provided as best seen-in. Fig; 8. Said latch is pivoted at one end as at 27 to the inner side of the rail 14 so that when the latter is lowered, the latch 26 will be disposed in position for an oblique slot 28 in one thereof to engage the adjacent pin 22 of the door. The latch has a bent end 29 or equivalent fingerhold. In order to give the door a tight'fit the same is formed at the inner side with an inwardly disposed flange 30 which is received in a groove or recess 31 formed in the frame 11. The above described devices form no-part of my improved locking mechanism but are desirable in connection with a door embodying said locking mechanism.

In connection with the main door 12 I have shown an auxiliary door opening and door with a telescoping chute or spout for loose grain or the like. Thus, the numeral 32 indicates a transverse opening in the door which may be rectangular as shown. In said opening a suitable bushing 33 is provided which is cast integral with the inner side of the door. A telescoping section 34 is movable transversely on the bushing 32 and is provided with a flange 35 at the outside of the door. A chain 36 prevents the entire detachment of the spout section 34 which may be brought outward and tilted as indicated in Fig. 2. The auxiliary door opening is closed by a door 38 which has at the inner side a groove 39 for receiving a flange or head 40 on the main door whereby to effect a. ti ht closure. The door 38 is hung on a cranked hinge rod 41., the upper and lower cranked ends of which turn in keepers 42 on the main door, and said auxiliary door is provided with suitable locking means, thr being shown a hinged hasp 43 adapted to engage over a staple bar 44 hav ing a seri of holes therein to receive a pad lock indicated.

I provide a. system of coacting locking elements within the door between the inner and outer sides thereof, the door being made hollow to accommodate said locking elements and their operative means. A series of rockable locking elements 45 are pro vided aL the opposite sides and at the top and bottom of the door, and these are adapted to engage coacting elements 46 preferably in the torn: of plates set into the door frame 11. The rockable elements 45 are formed with norm threads to engage or disengage similar threads in the elements 46. I provide suitable means to simultaneously dispose the locking elements 45 in locked or unlocked relation to the eoacting elements 46 for which purpose in the illustrated example said locking elements 45 are carried by arms 45 which are pivoted at one end as at 45 on links 47 which in turn are pivoted as at 48 to slides 49 movable on fixed guide rods 50 disposed horizontally at the top and bottom and vertically along the sides of the door within the same. As seen best in Fig. 7 each locking element 45 has a flat side 51, the remaining portion be ing formed with worm teeth to engage similar teeth in the fixed elements 46. and said element 45 has a longitudinal bore 52 therein to receive a pin 53 which is supported at its inner end in the inner side of the door or main casting of the door and at its outer end in a facing plate 54 on the door at the front. lhe front plate 54 is held in fixed position by spacing blocksfifi and suitable securing means such as pins or bolts 56, (see Fig. 2). In addition to the pin hole 52 and pin 53 for the turning of the locking element 45, the said element has a pin hole 45 receiving a pin 45 extending through the carrying arm. 45 to insure the rocking of said element when the arm 45 is actuated.

For simultaneousl operating the several slides 49, a spindle 5 is provided extending through the front 54 of the door whereby to be turned from the exterior and on said spindle is a bellcrank lever 58, one arm of which is connected to the bottom slide 49 by a link 60. and the other arm is connected by a link 59, to one vertical slide 49. A second link 61 connects the bottom slide 49 with a second bellcrank 62, the other arm of which is connected by an upright link 63 with the adjacent upright slide 49 and said link 63 connects by a link 64 with the adjacent side arm 45. A similar system of links and levers connects the upright slides 49 with the upper horizontal slide, there being shown at the top bellcrank levers 65 corresponding with the levers 58, 62 and a system of links corresponding with the described system at the bottom of the door. The numeral 66 indicates studs or blocks on which the bcllcrank levers other than the lever 58 are mounted. From the foregoing it will be clear that a turning of the spindle 57 will engage or disengage the respective locking elements 45, 46. In order to provide additional lookin means the spindle 57 has a hasp lever G7 %or turning the same,

said lever being disposed at the outside of the door, and being adapted to engage a staple 68 or the like whereby a padlock 69 may be employed to lock the staple lever and spindle 57 against movement. The nu mcral 70 represents a handle on the door.

In addition to the tight closure effected by the flange members 30 and mating grooves 31, a further means to insure the tight closure consists of edge flanges 54 at the sides of the facing plate 54 (Figs. 3 and 4), adapted to fit over the front extensions 11 on the door frame 11, said extensions projecting forwardly beyond the side of the car.

I wish to state in conclusion that although the illustrated example constitutes a practical embodiment of my invention, I do not limit myself strictly to the mechanical details herein illustrated, since manifestly the same can be. considerably varied without departure from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. The combination with a structure having a door 0 )ening. of a door to close said o 'icning. roc able locking elements on the door. said elements being each in the form of a mutilated worm, and enacting locking elements presenting teeth adapted for engagemen't by the rouhable elements, and means to m-tuate said .mckebie elements to engage m? disengage said fixed elements.

2. A locking means for ulcers including a mekabie element in the form of a mutilated worm, :1 relatively fixed element having teeth corresponding with the Worm element, and means to actuate said rockeble element to engage 01' disengage the fixed eiement.

3. The combination with a (1001, of a series of ieeking elements each in the form of a worm having; ii. carrying sami Chiiih' I54 a; jaeent t0 the respecti e eh said guide rods, 1mm and h '.:=,mmy"in-1twbetween the respective slides, means to :uzbw ate one of said levere. and relatively fixed coaching locking elements with what-h the rockable locking elemenis are adapted for engagement.

JOEL W 5M1 TH. 

